Sunday, July 29, 2012

A man who had recently separated from his wife shot his two children,
killing his 7-year-old daughter, before committing suicide, prosecutors
said.

No restraining orders had been filed against Daryl Benway, and he had no
criminal record, the DA said. He had a gun license that expired in
1999, Early said.

What's that supposed to mean, his gun license expired? What happens in Mass. when gun licenses expire? Do the authorities suppose those men turn in their guns?

Should extreme obesity be a restricting factor in gun ownership? Just look at that photo. He's the kind of guy who gets out of breath just standing up to take a family picture. Is someone like that capable of handling a gun responsibly?

Does the mental illness which leads to the kind of lifestyle in which extreme obesity can set in impair one's ability own and manage guns?

The policy of "may issue" is the answer. In many cases, the local authorities can make a judgment call about these issues. Of course, I'm not just talking about concealed carry permits. "May issue" should apply to gun ownership as well.

16 comments:

Massachusetts already has strict gun control. That didn't accomplish anything here. But this man had no restraining order on him, and obesity isn't a warning sign for violence. On what grounds would the issuing athority revoke this man's gun license? If they were to say his weight, they'd be in for a civil rights lawsuit. But that's why you want may-issue even to own guns. You want the government to have the arbitrary power to revoke licenses at a whim, not based on evidence.

I don't condone what this man did. What I say is that the state had no apparent reason to expect this to happen, and if rights can be taken away with no evidence, none of us is safe.

"The policy of "may issue" is the answer. In many cases, the local authorities can make a judgment call about these issues. Of course, I'm not just talking about concealed carry permits. "May issue" should apply to gun ownership as well."

You mean like in Massachusetts, where the license they speak of is a gun owner license, not a carry license and that it is already "may issue"?

That wouldn't be hard to document; those who are physically impaired tend to rely much more on firearms to compensate for their impairment -- just look at the classic NRA members.

What this underlines is that we need to have some form of mental health testing before allowing anyone to use or own a firearm. We have this kind of murder suicide almost daily - easily multiple times a week.

That is utterly unacceptable. It means the wrong people have a lot of guns; many of those who commit these murder suicides own more than one.

The real problem with extreme obesity is not that it leads to violence but that it physically prevents the afflicted person from being able to manage firearms safely and responsibly. If a person cannot bend over or stand up easily and quickly, if they can't reach for their gun in its holster because they're blocked by their own bulk, they are not fit to own guns.

Being able to retreat should be a requirement, notwithstanding the stand-your-ground laws. Obese people cannot easily do that so they'd more likely use their gun unnecessarily.

Everyone's "lifetime" FIDs in MA expired in 1999. Most of them didn't even know it and possess their guns illegally to this day. It's a classic case of bad legislation making good people felons overnight.

"Couch time" is part of therapy which is administered after one has been diagnosed with some sort of mental health issue.

No, Greggy, the mental health screening question is pretty simple: if you are under a doctor's care for a mental health issue and/or taking medication for a mental health issue and/or have a history of mental health issues--these should be a red flag for gun ownership. Not a disqualifier, necessarily, but something that should be adjudicated before someone is allowed to buy a gun.

The way you talk, I wonder if you're out of diapers yet. Perhaps you're not old enough to know that medical records are private. Apparently, privacy doesn't count for anything to gun control advocates. You may be too young to realize that lots of people are taking Prozac or similar, but they're not a danger to anyone.

Given your history of wild accusations, you'll have to excuse me for not believing you when you say that this man was an NRA member. Of course, why that would matter one way or another is beyond me.

I just checked. The NAACP accepts anyone, too. In fact, they offer a discounted prison membership.